Dr. Emily Andersen on owning your power
Dr. Emily Dae Andersen is a veterinarian that does house calls, bringing much needed veterinary care to people who may not be able to get to an office setting. Her company, ComfortABLE Critters Veterinary Care, helps support other veterinarians in the area, as well as underserved areas of both Connecticut and Vermont.
The result is that Dr. Emily can truly embrace animal health in all its forms, and work with the community to make her corner of the world a better place.
Dr. Emily is passionate about veterinary medicine, but she originally wanted to be a farmer. As she grew, she found herself interested in a variety of other animal related topics. Everything from becoming a primatologist to an animal behaviorist.
What she eventually realized was that veterinary medicine would provide her the freedom to pursue all of her interests, not just one narrow focus.
Learning young
As a child, Dr. Emily earned her first dollar working hard to pay for half of a flute—a deal she made with her parents. She achieved her goal after her grandparents generously offered her $4 an hour for chores. She also still has the first dollar she ever made working in the restaurant industry, a field that taught her a lot about handling people.
Food is her passion
Dr. Emily has a deep and abiding relationship with food, part of her Lebanese/Italian heritage. She believes that food reform is one of the most important social topics of our day, and would greatly benefit the whole world.
Food is everything and is deeply linked to nearly everything in life. Food system reform mandates a One Health approach and assessment of so many aspects which are near to my heart including: animal welfare and behavior, environmental health and sustainability, human physical health, human mental health, marginalization of groups of people, education, community building, family bonding, and the list goes on. Providing nutritive and sustainable food is a cultural foundation for physical, mental, and societal health.
If food insecurity were at the heart of our global goals, a cascade of benefits would follow. It is one of the most important changes in the world she thinks we should address.
As far as one thing every person should try, Dr. Emily thinks traveling alone is a life changing adventure. When you push yourself out of your comfort zone and experience something new, it can change your life for the better.
Dr. Emily’s thirst for adventure probably came from her grandfather, “Jidu,” which is the Lebanese word for grandfather. Jidu was a cartoonist and artist who filled his days with adventures of his own. Even at an advanced age he was going on book tours, dabbling in the study of neuroscience, and taking long walks.
His passion for health education may well have been the inspiration for her veterinary studies. He died unexpectedly during her veterinary schooling. Although he is gone from her life now, she still works in his old art studio, and carries many of his same life values.
Dr. Emily is always working towards not just her veterinary goals, but her many personal interests as well. She hopes to continue expanding her knowledge and understanding of the world, all through the lens of veterinary medicine.